Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries.
Title courtesy of Mumford & Sons' 'broken crown.
~Once again, this is unedited. I will look through tomorrow and make the necessary changes~
8
these violent delights have violent ends
It was just past noon when the door to the Boarding House was thrown open and Klaus strode through the threshold and into the living room, Davina following cautiously behind him.
"You made good timing," Stefan said, appearing at the entrance from the kitchen. The younger vampire leaned against the archway with his arms crossed over his chest as Rebekah came to stand beside him, her hands resting on her hips and cold blue eyes regarding her brother. Both vampires eyed the girl standing in the entryway.
"Yes, well, it would have been much fast had I not had the extra baggage," Klaus said, pouring himself a tumbler of Damon's bourbon and taking a lengthy swig before continuing. "Well?"
"Well, what, Nik?"
"Now, Bekah, that's no way to treat your big brother when I've been away on such tedious business that is concern to all of us. Speaking of which where is the rest of our merry band of misfits? We have an ancient witch to take out. Let's get down to business."
"Damon's on his way back from moving Bonnie. He left Elena their with her. But other than that, it's just us four."
"And maybe Caroline depending on if you can behave yourself," Rebekah quipped, plopping down onto a sofa. "Where's 'Lijah?"
"He stayed in New Orleans. We have a rebellion on our hands down there but we'll chat about that nasty business later, Bekah. Stefan, you might as well stop Damon before he gets back here and have him retrieve the Bennett witch. And call Caroline while you're at it. Her involvement is non-negotiable."
"I'll speak for Caroline," Stefan said, sauntering towards the Originals, "And I think it's for the best that she stays out of it or at the very least as far from you as possible. I'm not going to let her get any hurt anymore than she already has be-"
"Thanks, Stefan, but I think can speak for myself," Caroline said, joining them in the living room, walking past Klaus without sparing him a glance. Her blonde curls bobbing in her wake. She turned on her heel once she had reached the Salvatore's side.
"Are you sure? You don't need to be here, Care."
"Well, my best friend's life might be at stake and if you think for one second, I'm going to miss out the planning and leave Bonnie's life in his hands then you're fifty shades of wrong."
"Okay, then," Stefan conceded with pursed lips, pulling his phone out of his back pocket. "I'll just get in touch with Damon." The other three vampires watched him leave the room, an uneasy silence taking his place. Rebekah started picking at her nails and Caroline typed away on her phone.
Klaus took a moment to study Caroline. He could tell she hadn't fed properly by the ever so slight grey hue her skin had taken on in the day he had been gone. The thought of Stefan letting her wilt away, too consumed by a false grief, made his blood boil. His fingers clenched behind his back and he fought to repress the growl threatening to escape his throat. He was given solace by the fact that the golden halo that seemed to float around her hadn't diminished in the slightest even if her usual bright cornflower blue eyes were a shade darker and their spark was all but dead.
"Take your puppy dog eyes elsewhere, Nik," Rebekah sighed in exasperation, running a hand through her pin-straight hair before returning her attention to her nails. "Neither Caroline or I want to see that, you love sick fool."
Caroline's eyes finally snapped up to meet his at Rebekah's comment and she gave him the iciest glare Klaus was certain he'd ever been on the receiving end of. He put his own mask up, feigning indifference to the way her cold eyes were boring into his. "Let's not nag, Rebekah. We have a job at hand."
"Please, you're the one who ran off to New Orleans in the middle of the night. If anyone has a job to do, it's you, Nik. Not me. Not Caroline. Not Stefan."
"And if you think for one second you can sacrifice Bonnie then you've got another thing coming. I've already lost my boyfriend to you. I'm not losing my best friend, too," Caroline snapped, her eyes narrowing even further if that was possible.
"It's good for you then that I have no intentions of sacrificing anyone, then. We've lost enough to Silas as it is."
"God you're delusional! You never even had me in the first place!" Caroline exclaimed, throwing her hands out at her sides with a strangled groan.
"All the more reason to get rid of Silas so I can leave this godforsaken town for good, then," he said.
"I'm surprised you even came back. When's the last time you did something decent for us? Oh, right. That was never."
Klaus lifted his chin, his nose scrunched slightly as he tried not to frown at her comments and nodded slowly. Stefan reentered the room, shoving his phone back into his pocket.
"Damon's not happy but he's turning around to get Bonnie and bring her back to Mysti…What's going on?"
"Nothing. Caroline was just informing me of my selfish acts. Let's get down to business, shall we?"
"Who's she? Rebekah blurted, nodding her head towards the brunette witch still standing quietly in the entryway of the Boarding House, fiddling with her fingers.
"I'd like you lot to meet, Davina. Lovely young witch who got herself volunteered to help out with our Silas problem. Come, now, no need to be shy, love," he said, beckoning Davina into the room with a hand extended in her direction.
"I didn't volunteer for anything," she said in a small voice, lifting her chin and glaring the vampires down.
"Minor details, let's not be too resentful, hhm?" Klaus dismissed. "I promised dear Sophie that there would not be a hair out of place when you turned home to New Orleans."
"That was after you were going to kill me!" Davina said, tears springing to her eyes.
"Seriously? Just leave her alone!" Caroline snapped, pushing off the wall and crossing over to the young witch. "Just ignore him. My friend, Stefan, and I won't let this psycho hurt you, okay?"
"'Kay," Davina said with a shy smile up at the blonde.
Klaus couldn't help the small and fleeting wistful smile that tugged at his lips when Davina entered the room at Caroline side.
"You obviously have a plan, Klaus. What is it?"
"Believe it or not, it's a stunt you lot tried to pull on me before any of us had gotten to know each other," Klaus chuckled, sitting down in an arm chair and leaning back into it. "It's quite simple, really. I draw Silas out using Davina, here, and when I have him where I want him, lovely Bonnie jumps out of the bushes and weakens him. Then we kill him."
"But..I…I don't know any magic. And definitely not Expression," Davina said, looking up at Caroline and back at Klaus.
"I gathered as much at our graveyard rendezvous, love. Not to worry. You just need to stand there and look pretty while I charm my way around Silas' schemes."
"I think we'd have better luck if you just tossed Davina out there," Caroline scoffed.
"I do believe we've already established that, firstly, Davina will not be put in a position to be harmed and, secondly, Silas' quarrel is with me."
"Forgive me. How dare I forget that everything revolves around you!"
"No. This is about you, Caroline! Not me!" Klaus finally yelled. "Why else would I have come back to this bloody town?! Why else would I put up with your cheeky comments and accusations about Tyler when I did nothing?!"
"Because you're covering your tracks, that's why! You want me to think you can do good things and then crush everything you have going for you! It's all about control. You never cared about me. You just wanted me to think you did so when I finally trusted you all I would be left with was a friendly reminder that you don't care about anyone. The only thing that's important to you is your reputation! As long as that's in tact then nothing. Else. Matters."
A response was on the tip of Klaus' tongue when Rebekah flashed over and pinned Caroline to the wall, holding the baby vampire above her head by the throat.
"Rebekah, let her go," Stefan said, coming to Caroline's defense only to have Rebekah shove him halfway across the room.
"You ungrateful little bitch" Rebekah snarled in Caroline's face. "My brother has been more than courteous to you and you should be thanking him for sparing your life when all you've ever done to him is build him up and tear him down."
"Like…you…care," Caroline choked out, fighting against Rebekah's grip on her neck. "You hate him."
"Check your facts, baby vampire. Just because I'm angry with him doesn't mean I love him any less. I'm tired of seeing you treat him like he's the dirt you walk on."
"Enough, Rebekah. I'm more than capable of defending myself," Klaus snapped, moving to the two vampires and pulling his sister away from Caroline with a jerk before she could bring her other hand to the girl's neck and snap it.
"Are you okay?" Stefan asked, helping Caroline up from where Rebekah had dropped her. Caroline nodded, her eyes flicking between Klaus and Rebekah and a muffled sob escaped her.
"I need to go home."
Stefan nodded. "I'll take you." He placed a hand on the small of Caroline's back and pushed her gently towards the door. "I'm assuming you're staying here until Damon gets back with Bonnie but don't think for a second I won't kick you out. Both of you. Rebekah, please offer Davina something to eat and drink."
Rebekah nodded, her eyes downcast. She pulled out of Klaus' grip on her elbow and strode towards the kitchen, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Come with me." Davina followed her quickly and quietly, leaving Stefan and Klaus alone in the room.
"I thought I was clear about you leaving Caroline alone?"
"I've been exceptionally generous in accepting her accusations. My patience has limits, Stefan," Klaus growled, his eyes finding the floor. "Especially when the accusations that are flying center around an event that did not occur. If Caroline can't play nicely then perhaps it's best she stay out of it."
"Oh, she'll stay out of it, alright. You made sure of that, Klaus," Stefan said, shoving past Klaus and out the door. The hybrid squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose, the sound of Stefan's steps echoing through the high-ceilinged room as the younger vampire followed the soft sound of Caroline crying outside, the door shutting in his wake.
"Well, that was an eventful war conference," Rebekah said, striding back into the main room. "Speaking of war what's this talk about revolution in New Orleans?"
"I'm not in the mood Rebekah," Klaus said, rubbing his temples.
"Now's good a time as any to tell me if you expect to pack up my life when this mess is all sorted out."
"Marcel has banned witches from practicing magic," he began, moving wearily to a chair and falling into it. "And it seems one of them, who's had her powers completely taken away for practicing Expression and trying to raise Silas, has been plotting a revolution not only against Marcel but the entire vampire race. Let's skip over the irony of that, shall we?"
"I never liked witches all that much. Vindictive and fickle."
"I believe that's the pot calling the kettle black in some circles, Bekah," Klaus said, trying to find some way to lighten the situation.
"So you and I are going back to New Orleans to present a united front with Elijah when the dust is settled here?"
"Something like that. Although I'm certain it's nothing 'Lijah and I can't handle if…if you want to stay here. Or go elsewhere."
Nodding, Rebekah sat down opposite her brother. "I'll consider my options." She watched Klaus stare at his feet for a few minutes before speaking again. "Why even bother? With Caroline?" Klaus lifted his gaze to glare at her. "I'm just curious."
His gaze dropped once more as he gave her a half-hearted shrug. "I guess it means I'm no better than you- getting stuck in the same vicious cycle of unrequited love," he said before falling back into silence, the grandfather clock ticking ominously in the background. "All I know is I didn't kill Tyler Lockwood. Silas planted that belief in her head…. I brought him back. For her. I allowed that pitiful excuse of a hybrid to come back into town so she could have the night she wanted. Everything I've bloody done has been for her. And yet…."
"And yet?"
"It doesn't matter," Klaus said with a shake of his head as if to clear is thoughts. "I'll be leaving Mystic Falls as soon enough. The sooner I forget about her, the better. Love is a weakness, Rebekah. Nothing more, nothing less."
The late spring night was warm, the crickets chirped loudly and the sound echoed around the clearing Klaus stood in, Davina close to his side. The breeze rustled the growth on the trees, casting shadows from the white moonlight over their faces as they stood waiting in silence.
"Breathe, Davina," Klaus growled under his breath. "Your racing heartbeat will give us away."
"Easier said than done," she whispered back, crossing her arms over her chest with an indignant huff. She took a deep breath regardless and Klaus smirked.
Just then the forest surrounding them went silent. The crickets fell quiet as if a plague had come and wiped them all out. It even seemed that clouds covered the moon and enveloped the hybrid and the witch in complete darkness. Remembering his need to keep Davina alive as his bargaining chip, Klaus took a step closer to the younger witch.
"I'm impressed," an icy voice behind them said. Klaus spun around, placing Davina behind him. "That didn't take as long as I had anticipated, even for you."
"Well when you've been around a thousand years, you tend to know where to find the right crowd."
Silas chuckled. "I appreciate your cooperation, Klaus. This could have been a very tedious search. Now hand the girl over to me and we can part our separate ways."
"I can't do that quite yet, I'm afraid. I found you a witch now it's your turn to hold up your end of the bargain."
"Your numerous enemies that will come back once I get my hands on the Bennett witch. You won't have to worry about a thing, there. I'll dispose of them for you and send them back into death before they can think about getting to you. You have my word."
"I'm glad to hear it however there's another pressing issue at hand that I expect you to rectify."
"Ah, yes. Your little blonde vampire. How is she, by the way? I heard she's been through quite the ordeal, no thanks to you," Silas whispered, stroking his chin in mock thought. "It's a pity, really, that you had to lose everything you'd worked so hard for," Silas said but the glimmer in the depths of his clear blue eyes and the malicious grin on his face told Klaus that the ancient witch pitied nothing about it. "It's better for her, you know," Silas continued, beginning to pace the area in between them "To think so badly of you, to not want anything to do with you. I know as well as anyone that love is a weakness and it's one you can't afford to have now that us two kings are contending for the same throne. I would hate for someone to take advantage of that. It'd hardly be a fair fight."
"Fortunately for you, then, I'm leaving Mystic Falls and Caroline behind," Klaus countered. "This town and the children in it have proven to be much more trouble than they're worth. All I want is affirmation that you will let her go, give her memories back so she can live her life in something other than misery."
"That's quite a hefty price for that scrap of a girl cowering behind you," Silas said, his eyes narrowing.
"I'm sure you'd be cowering too if you were in her place. Being in the presence of the two most powerful beings on the planet must be intimidating for a infant like her," Klaus said with a dark chuckle.
Silas was in Klaus' face without a moment's notice, sneering and looming over the hybrid. "I find it funny that you think you can best me, hybrid," he spat and waved his hand in agitation. Klaus flew across the clearing and before he could recover his bearings, a large, calloused hand had embedded itself into his chest. He screamed out in pain, eyes clenching tight against the feelings of long fingers squeezing his heart as if it were molding clay. "I'll ask you one time, hybrid, where's the Bennett witch?" Silas said, pulling Klaus up to his feet by the fist lodged in his chest.
"Right here."
Silas yanked his fist out of Klaus' ribcage and turned, a wicked smile on his face as Klaus' yell echoed into the night. "There's my girl," he said, walking toward Bonnie with deliberate, measured steps that made him look like he was floating across the ground. Klaus stayed put as he felt the hole in his chest close, blood coursing over the skin as muscles, tendons, and bone stitched back together.
"Here I am," Bonnie said, drawing herself to her full height, which was still several inches shorter than Silas. She raised her hand before Silas could say anything, Latin flowing from her lips as the wind picked up.
Before Klaus knew it, Stefan and Rebekah entered the fray and pulled him to his feet. The gusts of wind from Bonnie's magic so strong the vampires could barely hear anything over the rustling of leaves and creaking of saplings. Rebekah pulled a stake from her jacket pocket and looked up at Klaus before handing it to him. He smirked down at her and they all moved, Stefan and Rebekah taking hold of Silas by his arms and Klaus moving to stand behind Bonnie, the stake poised at Silas' heart. The ancient witch's eyes were wide and flickering all around him, glaring at his captors to the best of his ability. Without breaking Bonnie's concentration, Klaus thrust the last White Oak stake into Silas' heart.
The man screamed, bursting into flames. Stefan and Rebekah were quick to let go but he remained standing, suspended in the air by Bonnie's spells. Klaus took a step back and watched the flames lick and consume Silas' skin, Latin still flowing from Bonnie's lips as he began to crumble into ash. A final, garbled scream burst from Silas' lips. It sounded like a name and it took Klaus a second to realize that it was the name of his long lost lover, a woman he would never see again.
At long last, the wind died down and Silas was no more.
A/N: pls forgive me for that atrocious and embarrassing and all around terrible action scene...if it can even be called that. writing action is, obviously, not my strong suit. but, hey, at least Silas is dead:D
there were at least 287346283 places in there I strongly considered quitting for the night and leaving it at a terrible, mean cliff hanger. but I didn't. because I love you guys. a lot. lol.
there are only two more chapters left. I'm rather torn on whether or not I should do an epilogue so we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. but I won't be getting the next chapter out until the weekend. it's very important and I want it just right and I'm absolutely exhausted from cram writing this to fit it all end lol. what can I say since it's my fault, though? lol i fail as an author.
okay, I'll stop talking now. you know the drill: thanks for reading and please review to let me know what you think:)